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Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein. The plot is centred around the Jewish community of Anatevka, a village in Tsarist Russia at the turn of the 20th century, and in particular Tevye the milkman and his five daughters. Fiddler on the Roof is based on stories by Salumon Naumovich Rabinovich (who wrote under the pseudonym of Sholem Aleichem) which were originally published in Yiddish in 1894. The title is taken from a painting, The Fiddler by Marc Chagall, and refers to the Jewish community's attempt to maintain their precarious position in an uncertain world. Production history The musical opened at the Imperial Theater on Broadway on September 22, 1964, starring Zero Mostel as Tevye. It ran for three thousand two hundred and forty-two performances in its initial Broadwy run, was nominated for ten Tony Awards and won nine. Four Broadway revivals followed. The first performance in London's West-End was at Her Majesty's Theatre on February 16, 1967. The Israeli actor Topol starred as Tevye. Fiddler on the Roof ran for two thousand and thirty performances in its initial West-end run and was revived there three times. Fiddler on the Roof continues to be performed by amateur and professional companies throughout the world. A film version directed by Norman Jewison, which follows the original stage version very closely, was released in 1971. Topol starred as Tevye, as he had previously done in the fist London production. The film won three Academy Awards. Main characters *Tevye - a poor milkman. *Golde - Tevye's wife. *Tzeitel - Tevye and Golde's oldest daughter, in love with Motel. *Hodel - Tevye and Golde's daughter, in love with Perchik. *Chava - Tevye and Golde's daughter, in love with Fyedka. *Shprintze and Bielke - Tevye and Golde's youngest daughters. *Motel Kamzoil - a tailor who wants to marry Tzeitel. *Perchik - a student and Bolshevik revolutionary who wants to marry Hodel. *Fyedka - a gentile who wants to marry Chava. *Lazar Wolf - the butcher, a widower who was supposed to marry Tzeitel. *Yente - the village matchmaker and gossip. *Fruma-Sarah - Lazar Wolf's late wife, her ghost appears during the number, Tevye's Dream. *Grandma Tzeitel - Golde's late grandmother, her ghost appears during the number, Tevye's Dream. *Modcha the innkeeper. *The village rabbi. *The constable - a gentile who is the chief representative of Tsarist authority in Anatevka. Musical numbers Act I *''Prologue/Tradition'' - Tevye and the Company *''Matchmaker'' - Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava *''If I Were a Rich Man'' - Tevye *''Sabbath Prayer'' - Tevye, Golde and the Company *''Tevye's Monologue'' - Tevye *''Miracle of Miracles'' - Motel *''Tevye's Dream'' - Tevye, Golde, Grandma Tzeutel, Fruma-Sarah and the Company *''Sunrise Sunset'' - Tevye, Golde, Perchik, Hodel and the Company *''The Bottle Dance'' - Instrumental Act II *''Entr'acte'' - the Orchestra *''Now I Have Everything'' - Perchik and Hodel *''Tevye's Rebuttal'' - Tevye *''Do You Love Me?'' - Tevye and Golde *''The Rumor/I Just Heard'' - Yente and villagers *''Far From the Home I Love'' - Hodel *''Chaveleh (Little Bird)'' - Tevye *''Anatevka'' - The Company *''The Leave Taking'' - tevye, Family and Fiddler External links * [http;//www.ibdb.com/show.php?id=3513 Fiddler on the Roof (1964) at the Internet Broadway Database.] * [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067093 Fiddler on the Roof (1971) at the Internet Movie Database.] * [http;//www.mgm.com/view/Movie/646/Fiddler-on-the-Roof Fiddler on the Roof (1971) available to view on MGM's official website.] Category:Culture